In view of a huge shortage of buses, the Delhi government has decided to run midi-buses across the city in order to augment public transport in the national capital.

Transport Minister Satyendar Jain has directed his department to introduce midi-buses immediately so that people do not have to face problems while commuting across the city. (Reuters)

In view of a huge shortage of buses, the Delhi government has decided to run midi-buses across the city in order to augment public transport in the national capital. Transport Minister Satyendar Jain has directed his department to introduce midi-buses immediately so that people do not have to face problems while commuting across the city. A senior government official said that the midi-buses will be plied especially in rural areas and outskirts of the city. “The tender process for procuring midi-buses has started and we expect that in the next two or three months, these buses will start plying on the city’s roads,” the official also said.

According to the department, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is expected to procure these buses that are likely to be plied on kilometre scheme. According to the department, manufacturers have said that procuring 1,000 low-floor buses is a time-consuming process. Sources added that if the government runs midi-buses, they can be plied on city’s narrow roads while the current low-floor buses being big in size occupy more space on roads which often lead to traffic jams.

At present, most DTC buses are either low-floor or semi- low floor buses supplied by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. There are several routes, especially in rural areas, where commuters have to wait several hours for buses. At present, around 5,800 buses, including that of 4,100 DTC and 1,700 buses of cluster, are plying across the city, but there is need for 11,000 buses to cater to the passengers.